Coffee maker

Abstract

A coffee maker has a housing having an upstanding tower, a carafe support platform extending horizontally forward from the lower end of the tower, and a fixed, tubular filter basket support extending horizontally forward from the upper end of the housing above the platform. A horizontal filter basket cover, including a water spreader, is disposed above the filter basket support and carried by the housing for pivotal movement about a vertical axis. A cover pivotal about a horizontal axis is provided over a water reservoir defined by the housing. A valve mechanism is provided that operates upon pivoting of the filter basket cover to selectively permit heated water to be supplied to the water spreader, thereby preventing burns or the like from heated water when the water spreader is not located above the filter basket support. The coffee maker also includes an electronic controller having a control pad on the front surface of the housing platform. A pivotal cover is provided to shield the control pad from spilled coffee or the like. To permit the filter basket to be easily removed from the filter basket support, the filter basket is provided with a pivotal bail.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:  
     
       1. In a coffee maker comprising a housing, a filter basket support carried by said housing, and a filter basket removably supported in said filter basket support, said filter basket carrying a filter element, the improvement wherein said removable filter basket includes a pivotal bail which may be grasped to remove the filter basket from the filter basket support, wherein said filter basket includes a recessed portion for receiving said filter basket bail in a recessed position when not in use, wherein said recessed portion includes a support surface for said filter basket bail, and wherein said filter basket further includes a finger-receiving relief formed in said support surface that permits said bail to be lifted from said recessed position. 
     
     
       2. The improvement of claim  1  wherein said finger-receiving relief extends into an outwardly-extending tab section along the circumference of said filter basket, and wherein said filter basket support has a depression formed therein that receives said tab section, thereby properly orienting said filter basket within said filter basket support. 
     
     
       3. A coffee maker, comprising: 
       a housing defining a water reservoir and a platform for supporting a carafe, said platform having a front surface on which controls for said coffee maker are located;  
       a filter basket carried by said housing;  
       an automatic drip heater assembly in said housing communicating with said reservoir;  
       a hot water delivery tube delivering heated water from said heater assembly to said filter basket; and  
       a cover pivotally mounted on said platform and movable to a closed position covering said front surface.